The first batch of 3000 FPV drones equipped with machine vision and target guidance technologies has already been ordered by the government. Additionally, a new tender for 10,000 units has commenced via the closed Prozorro module.
This was announced by Ukraine's Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov, who noted that over 10 companies in Ukraine are already manufacturing such drones. Given this, the state can genuinely select the best samples through a competitive selection process.
It’s worth recalling that machine vision technologies with auto-following and target guidance capabilities address two primary issues of FPV drones. The first is to mitigate the impact of enemy electronic warfare tools, as a drone with machine vision can autonomously fly to the target once it has been locked on, without the need for a connection with the operator. The second is to reduce the dependency of the attack's outcome on the operator's skill, as now it is the algorithm that takes responsibility instead of the "hands and reflexes" of a human.
"The war is transitioning to a new technological level, so we must be swift, support entrepreneurs, and anticipate the future," stated Mykhailo Fedorov.
It is important to mention that discussions about integrating machine vision technologies into FPV drones have gained momentum since the end of 2023. For quite some time, these discussions remained limited to isolated experiments, both in Ukraine and Russia. Moreover, it cannot be claimed that this significantly raises the price of drones. For instance, Russian drones with machine vision solutions have been spotted at prices ranging from 120 to 150 dollars.
At the same time, the cheapest solution is not always the best, and the effectiveness of machine vision depends not only on the hardware but also on the software. Regarding developments for Ukraine, it became known in June of this year that Ukraine received the universal machine vision Skynode S for drones from the American company Auterion.